Our Top 10 Stories From 2014 That You Just Can’t Miss

Our Top 10 Stories From 2014 That You Just Can’t Miss

The New Year offers the perfect opportunity for reflection. So, we thought it’d be the perfect time to get a little nostalgic and remember the best posts we shared with you in 2014. But rather than picking our favorites—it’s like asking us to pick our favorite child—we let you decide. Here’s the list of the most read, new stories on Greatist in the past year:

The problem with chicken is, well, it tastes like chicken. But our favorite easy-to-prep poultry doesn’t have to be destined to a life sentence of boringness. Thankfully, inventive recipe bloggers have come up with dozens of ways to spice up chicken, from cayenne-rubbed with avocado salsa to spicy Asian noodle soup. And even if we did egg you on, you weren’t too chicken to try these dishes out. (OK, we promise we’re done with the corny puns—for now.)

Who actually has time to cook? After a long day of work, we know how hard it is to get motivated to whip up a healthy meal—especially when takeout is only a few clicks away. But everyone—even the instant gratification New York stereotypes like us—can carve out 12 minutes to make a delicious meal like honey soy salmon or asparagus and orzo pasta.

We’re totally in favor of planning ahead and cooking a few staple meals that’ll last most of the week. But then there are the times when we realize we don’t really want to have lemon chicken and quinoa five days in a row. That’s why we love these super easy meals for one. It’s the perfect recipe list to keep bookmarked—and it looks like that’s exactly what many of you have already done!

At a time when Tough Mudder and CrossFit are more popular than ever, pushing your body to its limits starts to seem like the norm. But there’s still that tiny voice in our head that knows the no pain, no gain mentality will probably hurt us more than it helps us. The exciting thing is that this story resonated with so many of you. So maybe 2015 will be the year we start to listening to our bodies and give them plenty of time for rest and recovery.

Being sick stinks, and when you’re exhausted from fighting off anything from the common cold to the flu, making a meal can seem like an impossible chore. But all of those nutrients and calories will get you on the fast track to recovery. So keep this cheat sheet of the best (and worst) foods to reach for when you’re under the weather in your back pocket—you never know when you may need it.

Coconut oil doesn’t just work miracles in the kitchen, like adding a flair to salad dressing and stir-fry. It also saves the day around the house! Want to make some quick toothpaste? Mix coconut oil and baking soda. How about unsticking a zipper? Grease up the stubborn zipper with some coconut oil. In the mood to make s’mores? Soak some cotton balls in coconut oil as the perfect fire starter. The real question is: What can’t coconut oil do?

Judging from the other top posts this year, you—dear reader—love our quick, healthy recipe ideas. And after you’ve filled up on all of those good nutrients, you’ll have plenty of energy to hit the gym or run outdoors. Running seems like a type of exercise that’s hard to improve—some of us are just natural born track stars, right? But it turns out following some simple tricks like jumping rope and strengthening your core will make you a faster runner next time you hit the track or trail.

You can do a circuit of weight machines at the gym, or you can do suspension training with a pair of TRX straps that’ll have you in Cirque-du-Soleil-like acrobatics as you strengthen your muscles. We’ll take the latter, please. We love that all you need is a pair of straps and gravity to do these bodyweight exercises like low rows and push-ups.

Seeing the boxes upon boxes of Cookie Crisp, Cap’n Crunch, and Reese’s Puffs in the cereal isle, it’s no wonder so many of us have heard cereal isn’t the healthiest way to start our day. But there are plenty of companies bucking that trend, producing cereals that are full of nutrients and still delicious. This guide is a must-have for cereal lovers, and breaks down the healthiest ones by calories, sugar, fiber, protein, and fat.

It’s no secret that we love breakfast, partially because there are so many delicious ways to kick off our day. We’re also not shy about our love of the Vitamix. So it only makes sense that high-protein smoothies are often our go-to breakfast—and with this post’s popularity, it seems like they’re your go-to as well. From coffee banana to coconut almond ginger, how can you go wrong?